Paris, day 6

     As we traveled through paris, I got the overwhelming craving to see the Da Vinci Code.  We passed the church Silas killed the sister in and later, we would be going to the Louvre.  Paris itself, is divided into twenty districts.  The first being the heart of Paris and the remaining nineteen spiral outwards like a snail.  Inside of the official city limits, there are roughly 2 million people.  Outside of the limits, however, there are 7 million more.  Nine million people in a city, which is almost a sixth of France's total population.  And I thought major cities in the United States were big...
     We circled the Arc de Triumph, and honestly, I was more excited about that that the Eiffel Tower itself.  After that, we stopped at the base of the Iron Lady (Eiffel Tower) and took lots and lots of pictures.  Boy, is it a whole lot bigger than what it look like in photographs.  Apparently, the tower was supposed to be destroyed three or four years after it was built, but it was saved with the idea of putting weather stations on the top of it as it was the tallest structure in Paris, and, coincidentally, the entire world.
     On the weather subject, Paris is rather chilly in the morning.  Windy as well.  It's a strange notion to be shivering outside on the first of July.
     After that, we visited with the glass pyramids of the Louvre (Hello Mary Magdalene). Then, we ate lunch at a strange little buffet.  With sustenance attained, we made our way to the Louvre.  We picked up maps, and while I was staring at mine, realization dawned that a good portion of the Louvre is underground.  Wicked.  Then we went up a few flights of stairs and were greeted by the Winged Victory and continued on to the ever so famous, Mona Lisa.  The crowds were crushing.  Slowly, the crowds cycled about and we were at the front, close enough to get a picture.  The Mona Lisa was behind a special mirrored glass which prevented both flashes and people from harming it.  After that, we ventured to Venus de Milo, the Coronation of Napoleon (a humongous painting), and many, many more truly awesome works of art.
     We ate dinner on the Hill, the tallest geographical point in Paris.  There, we were treated to Escargot and frog legs.  Escargot is delicious and garlicky, and frog legs taste just like chicken, nothing icky about either of them.  We had past for the main meal (again, delicious.)  Flan was served for desert, and that was the strange part of the meal, oddly enough.






     After almost a week in, it still hasn't quite hit that I've seen the Eiffel Tower, eaten Belgium chocolate, in Belgium, I've been within ten feet of one of the most famous works of art, and that I'm even in Europe at all, really.  Its just like being away from home for a bit, but not really over two thousand miles at all.